A major challenge for me (and, I understand, for many new investors) is estimating the price of renos needed, which of course makes it difficult to know what's a reasonable price to offer!

I find IREM courses to be more advanced by comparison.

Dallas reach out to me and I'll be happy to give your some suggestions and tips.. 

Of course, with all things, the answers to all these matters will depend on the circumstances.California tends to have more laws on the books and requirements and restrictions that it can be a good idea to form a CA LLC for out of state property so that you as a CA resident are covered, and to try to have your contracts fall under the purview of CA courts.

Any budgeting tips would be super helpful!

The VA loan option you mentioned is a great advantage of course.

Share your experiences, tips, and thoughts on how Co-Living has worked (or not worked) for you!

@Madelyn Felix we used to use ShowingHero, but moved on from them to ShowMojo, due to ShowMojo offering keypads in addition to lockboxes.We've pretty much flipped to keypads as too many keys go missing from lockboxes or get locked inside the home.While ShowMojo offers a service for tenants to use their keypads after movein, we remove the keypads when a home is rented and transfer to next vacant property.PRO TIP: only use keyed deadbolts for occupied rentals! 

It also makes negotiating things like insurance rates easier because you’re seen as a business, not just an individual.Of course, there are pros and also cons, like setup costs, filing fees, and more paperwork to keep up with.

She says that it won't be shared, but of course if it is for their records, it is also to protect them in case there is litigation.